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1. I read somewhere that the average pregnant woman’s brain capacitydecreases by 4%. (Don’t worry. It usually returns to normal post pregnancy.) I have no means through which to make such calculations, but I am feeling the famous “pregnancy brain” for sure.

2. Everyone always talks about how beautifuland amazingpregnancy is. I’m SO on board with that. It’s all very true. But can we just talk some about how so very WEIRDit is. Little tiny people grow insideof us, full size, people. And they TAKE OVER OUR BODIES. [I’m not complaining. It’s all worth it, for sure. I’m just saying…]

4. For some reason, I always want to spell belly with an IE at the end. It’s weird. I’d like to blame it on pregnancy brain but it’s probably at least half more about my life-long struggle with homophones.

5. My due date is in 8 weeks. That feels both REALLYsoonand SOfaraway. It’s REALLY soon when I think about all the things I still need to do, all the STUFF we still need to acquire. It feels REALLY soon when I think about the potential of him coming 2 weeks early. That’s only 6 WEEKS. It feels SO far away when I think about it as 2 months from now. 2 more months of being pregnant? I’d rather not. When I think about the possibility of him arriving 2 weeks LATE… Well, 10 weeks feels like an eternity.

6. One of my favorite things about being pregnant is that I’m not the only one. Several of my dearest friends are pregnant too! They keep me sane. We text all the time about all the weird things that these kiddos are doing to our bodies. It’s so comforting to hear the “me too!” and the “YES… and this too!” Becoming a mother alongside close friends (though separated by miles) is so delightful! I love shared experiences.

7. I just have to say, that my husband is super fantastic at dealing with all my insanity(only some of which is due to pregnancy). It just reaffirms a million times over that he is going to be an awesome father, as well as husband… for the long haul!

I’ve learned some deeper things through this experience of pregnancy as well…
But, I couldn’t write about those without first acknowledging these things. :)

Well, hellothere!
I know. You thought I disappeared, forever.
It seems a case of writer’s block has, once again, made itself comfortable here. I’m okay with that, actually, but ready for it to end.
I cannot believe that January only has 10 days leftin it and I’ve yet to write thoughts for the new year or reflections on the last.
I know that there are (a few)people out there eagerly awaiting Part 4 of Our Story, which I INTEND to post this week.
But today, I shall simply ramble about whatever comes to mind in a numbered list sort of fashion, starting now…

1. A year ago today, I was in CA packingthe few belongings I had left in the world and preparing to make the journey move to TN. I left CA on January 29th. I drove the two-day trek to Dallas, stayed there for a couple of days visiting good friends, and then continued on to Nashville.
2. It’s crazy that Nashville has been my homefor almost a year now (February 2nd). It’s also crazy that I’ve ONLY been here for (not even) a year.
3. AND if ANYTHING is crazy, it’s certainly INSANE that I’ve been marriedfor over 4 months!!!!
4. Miracles. Happen. :)
5. I’ve been thinking about Christ as our Refugefor weeks now. The truth and reality of Him as such is stuck in the forefront of my mind and spirit. So, I looked the word up today. It means protection, shelter, relief, harbor, and retreat… among other things. Christ is Harbor. The place we dock and unload and stay. He’s home. Christ is Retreat. The place we go when we need to get away from it all. I’m going to stop and dwell on that beauty for a bit… You?
…
6. Last year I wrote 12 things I wanted/needed to do in 2012. Here’s how it went: no, yes, almost, some, if averaged – way more than yes, yes – mostly, nope, yes, yes, nope – none, yes – I think so, nope – maybe this year?
7. I wonder what I’ll look like if I live to be a hundred years old.
8. When I was a kid, koalaswere my favorite animal. I have no idea why. There’s just something about them… And there’s something about this video that I find extremely moving and inspiring:
9. Who’s excited about 2013?!
10. Read any good books lately?Do share!

1. I’ve lived in Nashville for almost 4 weeks! It’s still a bit … surreal.

2. I really do love it here! I can’t say that Nashville feels like home quite yet, but I can say that the community of believers I’m a part of here does feel like (and is) family/home!

3. I gave myself a goal of writing at least 10 blog posts a month. February will not be meeting that mark. Whoops. Maybe I’ll make up for it in March. Maybe.

4. I haven’t gotten NEARLY as lost here as I did when I moved to Texas. That may have something to do with having an iphone now… Or maybe this is a less confusing city than Dallas/Fort Worth. (I actually think it’s a combination of the two.)

5. Speaking of iphones… I had slippery fingers today and mine landed face down on the asphalt outside of the bank. Cracked. Shattered? If you were watching it all go down you’d have thought that either it wasn’t broken or this happens to me everyday. It fell… I watched it land… Picked it up… Looked at it (and saw that yes, it is broken)… Thought to myself, “Well that’s awesome…” Stuck it in my purse… And walked in the bank…

6. It still works. So, have no fear.

7. Come back tomorrow. We’ll talk about more important things… like Jesus! :)

One of my favorite things about blogging is the ability to just CLICK and see what I was doing/thinking about/dealing with a year, or two, or six months ago. Another of my favorite things about blogging is that sometimes things don’t feel real, until I’ve SHARED them. And here, I get to SHARE some of them with you. I don’t write blogs to get blog traffic. I just share what is. And it’s always interesting to see what draws people here.

This year, well – last year (2011), you were apparently really interested in…

1. Is anyone else having ridiculous allergy issues lately? Do you know how to make them stop? Please tell me!

2. I’m up to running almost 4 miles. Someone clap for me! Now the question is… Should I or shouldn’t I sign up for a half marathon in April? I’ll let you know what I decide when it gets closer.

3. For Christmas, I got a lot of warm things. Here in San Diego, it’s been 80 degrees a few times this week. IN DECEMBER. Ridiculous. So, when I begin plans of moving somewhere, one of my family’s main concerns tends to be the weather. “It’s going to be so hot!” “It’s going to be so cold!” “How will you survive their weather!?” We’re spoiled here, ya know? So, my family tries to equip me for more “extreme” temperatures when I move to other places… like Nashville.

4. Yes folks. That’s the latest news in my life. I have decided to move to Nashville. The details are still very much in the process. I’m applying for jobs and looking for ways to “make it work.” Mostly I’m just saying, “YES!” to where Jesus is taking me and I’m rather excited about the adventures that await… (and sometimes also a little freaked out by the number of unknowns involved… but that’s living, right?)

5. Read any good books lately? Not that I don’t already have 100 or so I’m intending to read… But, what were your favorite reads of the year? (This is not a rhetorical question. I really want to know!) I’ll tell you mine soon!

6. Speaking of reading… I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not but, I’m a big fan of blogs. Here are some you should look at:

It is so very numbered list time. Get ready to learn 7 unimportant things:

1. I am listening to this song at this very moment. I. love! it. Mixing together country and rap is the perfect combination of risky and genius! “And we like cornbread and bis-cuits. And if it’s broke around here we fix it…” But I don’t recommend that you try it at home. It probably won’t work out as well for you as it did for him.

2. Today, I went to the mall. An in and out quick trip (the only way I go to the mall unless by force) to get something I needed AND had a coupon for! It was raining. And I thought I parked in one place. But I didn’t. So, I walked around the parking lot – laughing at myself. There were a lot of people looking for parking and following me around. I’d look at them and shrug and wave them on. One lady rolled down her window and said, “I’ll drive you to your car if you give me your spot.” I said, “That’d be super but I don’t know where my car is…” Welcome to my life. I only forget things when it’s raining and hilarious to forget. I do it for entertainment purposes. You are welcome.

3. Sometimes, I do my hair in the morning and I think “Hmmm… Maybe I don’t REALLY have curly hair. Maybe it’s just been pretending. This is something, but it’s not curly.” And then there are days that it’s crazy curly (like today) and I stand in front of the mirror wondering how in the world it can be the same hair. Thus, I have decided my hair is schizophrenic or has multiple personality disorder. Add to that the fact that I am pretty clueless about what color my hair is – and I clearly have some hair issues. {My confusion is not because I have dyed it so many times… I have actually never died it, really. It’s just turned into a rather indefinable color.} And somehow, all of that fits me.

4. Tonight I heard Donald Miller speak in San Diego. I would like to be friends with that guy. Not only does he love the beauty of a story, he’s got some legit stuff to say and some unique perspectives that challenge the status quo.

5. Next weekend, for 2 nights, I get to be roommates with my Asia roommate! I. am. so. excited! Honestly. And we get to go to our next door neighbor/family member’s wedding! Woot woot! And it happens to be in Dallas, so I get to spend time with my people there too! Blessings all around!

6. About that… Both the Asia chapter and the Dallas chapter of my life are closed. At least for now, and possibly forever. But you never know. I shall follow the Spirit’s leadingday by day and who knows where that will take me to and from… But for now, there isn’t anything in me that feels like I should be living in either of those places. And that’s kind of a weird feeling, especially when you mix it with the missing of people. But it’s great! It’s exciting! That God has NEW things He’s bringing me to. It’s strangely freeing, while also bewildering… :)

7. In case you’re wondering, now I’m listening to Justin Bieber – Stuck in a Moment. If you inspected the music in my itunes, you’d probably be confused. I listen to this little dude because it’s full of fun Asia memories. Like my brother singing at KTV. So. Wonderful! Oh wait. Now it’s K’naan. Wavin’ his flag. :) Maybe I should watch some soccer now…